About the song
Carly Simon Opens Up About Her Turbulent Marriage to James Taylor
For decades, Carly Simon and James Taylor were the golden couple of 1970s music — two poetic souls whose voices defined an era of love, longing, and lyrical honesty. They seemed destined for each other: beautiful, brilliant, and bound by song. But behind the public image of harmony was a marriage filled with passion, pain, and chaos. Now, Carly Simon has finally opened up about the truth behind their relationship — a story of deep love that couldn’t survive the storm.
When Carly met James in 1971, both were rising stars. She had just released “Anticipation,” while he was fresh off the success of “Fire and Rain.” “From the moment I met him,” Carly recalled, “I was dazzled. He had this quiet intensity — a mix of tenderness and danger. I felt like I’d known him my whole life.” Their chemistry was instant and electric. They married in November 1972 in a small, private ceremony in Martha’s Vineyard — the same place that would later become a refuge and a battleground for their love.
In public, they were folk music royalty — duetting on stage, smiling in interviews, and raising two children, Ben and Sally, who would both inherit their parents’ musical gifts. But privately, things were unraveling. “We were both young and fragile,” Carly confessed. “James had his demons, and I had mine. We loved each other fiercely, but it wasn’t always healthy.”
James Taylor’s struggle with drug addiction, particularly heroin, became a growing shadow over their marriage. “Addiction is like a third person in a relationship,” Carly said. “You think love can fix it, but love alone isn’t enough.” While Carly tried to support him, she also battled her own insecurities — fueled by fame, jealousy, and the constant scrutiny of living under the public eye. “I was terrified of losing him,” she admitted. “And in some ways, I lost myself trying to save him.”
Their relationship swung between euphoric highs and heartbreaking lows. There were moments of laughter, music, and deep connection — but also long stretches of distance and silence. “When he was present, he was the most loving man in the world,” Carly said. “But when he disappeared into his addiction, it was like being married to a ghost.”
By 1983, after more than a decade of turbulence, the couple divorced. Carly described the separation as both devastating and necessary. “It broke my heart,” she said, “but it also saved me.”
Years later, both artists would immortalize their pain in song — Carly in “You’re So Vain” and “Coming Around Again,” and James in “Her Town Too.” Their music became confessionals, windows into the ache of love that once burned too brightly to last.
Even now, decades later, Carly speaks of James with a mix of affection and sorrow. “He was the love of my life,” she admitted. “But sometimes, love isn’t meant to last forever. It’s meant to teach you — to break you open so you can grow.”
Today, both have found peace, but the echo of their story remains — two souls bound by melody, torn apart by time. Their marriage may have ended, but their songs ensure that their love — beautiful, messy, and real — will never be forgotten.
